The Wellness Center celebrated its second annual Sex Week over the week of Valentine’s Day. This year, they hosted 19 events from Feb. 10 to Feb. 14, some in collaboration with clubs and other UCCS organizations, with the goal of increasing awareness of safer sex practices. Students who attended three or more events were entered in a drawing to win a gift basket.
The Scribe attended as many events as we could work into our schedules to give students a glance into the week’s events.
Cycle Tracking 101
Kaylie Foster | Features Editor
Feminist Club partnered with the Wellness Center to host a menstrual cycle tracking workshop in the MOSAIC Lounge Monday afternoon. Shannon Gerber and Lacie Fadewa, two nurse practitioners from the Wellness Center, led the presentation and discussion about menstruation, the female hormone cycle and birth control options. Six students attended.
Gerber and Fadewa began by going through what a “normal” menstrual cycle is — anything from 21 to 45 days — and explained the hormone changes throughout the two cycle phases. “There’s this terminology going around about, ‘How can I balance my hormones?’ In general, there is no balancing them. They’re changing all the time, and that’s normal,” Fadewa said.
Gerber and Fadewa broke down different types of birth control and emergency contraception, providing details on levels of hormones and potential side effects for each type.
After the presentation, the nurse practitioners opened the room up for discussion. Attendees chatted about period products, cycle tracking apps and tips for cycle self-care.
The Wellness Center offers free Plan B and Ella emergency contraceptives, condoms and pregnancy tests for students. Students can visit the Wellness Center to discuss birth control options with a provider at any time.
The Burlesque Workout
Abigail Katharin | Features Reporter
Monday night, the Gallogly Recreation and Wellness Center invited a local burlesque performer to teach a burlesque workout class. Hosted in Group Fitness Studio 2, the class was attended by six students. Each student left with a smile on their face.
The focus of the class was a celebration of sexuality and everything a body can be and do. Class Instructor Alex Valdez started by saying, “Today you are going to be … in total control of yourself.”
After teaching a few Burlesque basics, Valdez led the group in four high-intensity routines. Valdez shouted encouragement throughout the choreography and made sure everyone felt comfortable in their own body. “This is your perfectly made suit for you,” he said. “It’s gorgeous as it is.”
Valdez closed the class by having each student strut up to the mirror and say a positive thing about themselves.
Catch Feelings, Not FOMO
Kaylie Foster | Features Editor
On Wednesday morning, Amanda Jepson, veteran and trauma therapist at the Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience and sex therapist, led an hour-long presentation about non-monogamous relationships in the MOSAIC lounge. Jepson identifies as a relationship anarchist, meaning someone who challenges the traditional hierarchical structure of relationships by valuing all partnerships the same.
Jepson started her talk by defining non-monogamy in its various forms. Non-monogamy can exist on a spectrum from low sexual or emotional exclusivity to high sexual or emotional exclusivity. At all levels, consent from all involved parties is necessary for ethical non-monogamy.
According to Jepson, non-monogamous relationships are not protected by the law, despite 20% of people in the United States experimenting with non-monogamy at some point in their lives. Non-monogamous people can be fired or denied custody of their children because of their sexual orientation.
“Most people [assume] ‘obviously, you’re in this for the sex,’ yet when we talk to folks who are non-monogamous, it is the eighth most frequently reported thing,” Jepson said. Having multiple partners can create an extended support system for emotional needs, a greater sense of community, and can decrease jealousy. Studies cited in her presentation show that there is no increased frequency of sex in non-monogamous relationships, and non-monogamous relationships tend to practice safer sex.
Jepson closed her talk by sharing some communication models for non-monogamous relationships, as she stressed the importance of communication in these relationships. Nonviolent communication, active listening and the IMAGO and HEARTS Models can all be used in monogamous relationships for transparent communication, as well.
Odes and Roasts: Love, Hate and Relationships
Ava Knox | Features Reporter
The Excel Multiliteracy Center collaborated with MOSAIC to host “Odes and Roasts” on Wednesday night. Nine student participants shared their original poetry about the trials and tribulations of dating, relationships, love and hate. Free pizza and candy were provided to all participants.
Students presented their odes to childhood, past loves and (although off-topic) snakes. The event encouraged new writers to present their poems on a broad range of topics, rather than exclusively love.
Beyond hosting events, staff members at the Excel Multiliteracy Center provide paper assistance and tips to students hoping to improve their writing skills. They also host open mic nights once a semester for students to recite their original material and connect with other creatives.
Bingo Night
Zee O’Donnell | Co-Editor-in-Chief
After the success of the event over the past couple of years, the Wellness Center hosted SexED Bingo Night again on Feb. 12. Clyde’s Gastropub was packed with participants eager to win some free prizes.
Allison Hine, a Case Manager and Wellness Promotion Coordinator, hosted the bingo. She called off different terms involving reproductive organs, STIs and forms of contraception. When each term was called, Hine displayed a slide that provided a definition and read it off to the crowd.
Wellness Promotion Coordinator Kristi Webb supported Hine at the event. Webb checked bingo boards and distributed prizes. Prizes included reproductive organ stuffed animals, fidget toys, chocolates, stickers and packs of condoms and lube.
The room was lit up with excitement throughout the event, and attendance was much larger than last year. It ended thirty minutes early as the Wellness Center ran out of prizes due to the larger crowd.
Cupcakes and Condoms
Abigail Katharin | Features Reporter
On Thursday morning, the tables outside of Big Cat Coffee were filled with handouts for Sex Week. One of the tables passed out cupcakes and condoms, encouraging students to use protection.
The table educated students on where to find protection on campus to promote healthy relationships and safe sex. They passed out two condoms and two lubricants in brown paper bags to students walking by.
Condom dispensers are located in LaPlata Laundry, Keystone Laundry, Crestone Laundry, Copper Hall and MOSAIC. For all other protection needs, visit the Wellness Center.
Reproduction Outside of the Matrix
Abigail Katharin | Features Reporter
In the afternoon on Feb. 13, MOSIAC hosted “Reproduction outside of the Matrix.” The talk was led by two students from the QTPOC and Two-Spirit Club.
The six students in attendance were invited to discuss the issues that limit access to reproductive and sexual wellness resources. Kane Ruiz, president of QTPOC and Two-Spirit Club, opened the presentation by reminding everyone that “what is shared here stays here. What is learned here leaves here.”
The conversation mostly focused on the topic of intersectionality and what it means for access to healthcare. The presenters covered how race, sexuality, economic status and religious beliefs all affect access to reproductive care.
A main portion of the talk focused on how having a disability can create stigmas around sexual health and reproduction. When learning about how two people with governmental aid for disability are legally barred from marrying each other, the attendees shared a moment of collective outrage.
Goodie bag containing safe sex materials from the Cupcakes and Condoms event. Photo by Josiah Dolan.